


Angels above

by elyteracy



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: (but very quickly), Castle in the Sky AU, Enemies to Lovers, Inspired by Studio Ghibli, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:14:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26703529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elyteracy/pseuds/elyteracy
Summary: When Andrew Minyard and his crew catch a wanted man named Neil Josten, they find themselves involved in far more than what they'd bargained for. All they wanted was money, but they get ships, mystery flying cities and the military thrown in the mix, and maybe some romance on top.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 3
Kudos: 51
Collections: AFTG Big Bang 2020





	Angels above

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to say a big thank you to my artist for the AFTG Big Bang 2020 who had infinite patience for my bullshit and my endless procrastination. You can find them on tumblr [ @i-did ](https://i-did.tumblr.com/)

Andrew Minyard hated few things in life more than he hated running, and liked few things more than he liked money. Money made the world go 'round, he'd heard somewhere, though he wasn't sure quite where. He wasn't sure if it did, but he'd noticed it made the world leave him the fuck alone, and that was enough for him. That's why money really was the only reason he was running right now, because, as we'd mentioned earlier, Andrew hated running.

Why Andrew was running was more of a who, a very slippery who. Nathaniel Wesninski was a wanted man and wanted men usually came with a lot of money, especially tied up and unable to flee anymore, which was obviously not the case for the aforementioned wanted man, since he suddenly disappeared into a clothing shop.

Andrew had almost missed it with the amount of people that were in the streets. It was a warm and sunny day, the kind that made most people leave their house to stare at things they could not afford behind glass walls. Crowds also attracted cops, which made pulling a gun to icentivise people to get out of your way was not recommended. Andrew's fingers brushed along the handle of his gun as he stepped inside the store. A little bell rang above his head. The air was dusty inside, and it smelled like old people. Andrew wrinkled his nose, looking around to see if he could find his target. 

Clothes were hanging from everywhere, if they were not hastily piled on mismatched tables. At some point, there must have been an attempt to keep men and women's clothes separate, which was still visible in disparate corner of the store, but it was mostly separated by colours, and sometimes fabric type, but even that was unclear. The excessive amount of clothes absorbed the sounds from the outside, which made the place strangely quiet, and the carpeted floor had seen much better days. Andrew quietly made his way toward what he guessed was the back of the shop, hand around his gun. There was nobody else, which added to the eeriness of the place. 

Behind a coat rack covered in various hats, he found a staircase. He paused in front, looking up at the lowly lit top floor. He could make out the dark heavy shapes of fur coats, which would provide perfect hiding spots. It made a soft noise as he climbed the first step. He put his foot on the second, purposefully repeated the sound without actually going up, and stayed there, listening. It took a few seconds, but he heard on his left, from behind a rack of tall evening gowns, a rustling noise. He silently walked off the stairs, carefully staying out of view, pulling his gun out of its holster. 

Nathaniel appeared from between two grey dresses made of an excessive amount of tulle. He was crouched, although in Andrew's opinion, he didn't need to, because he was very short. Andrew cocked his gun, and Nathaniel jumped at the sound, looking like a deer in headlights, before bolting away.

"Stop or I will shoot you," Andrew shouted. 

The only answer he received was the sound of the bell at the door and cursing. Andrew ran toward the exit, ready to shoot Nathaniel's leg, but found him on the floor, heaving and his brother, unimpressed, holding one of those huge and sturdy umbrellas.

"He was running away," Aaron said, as a way of justification.

Kevin's head appeared above Aaron, frowning. "We are supposed to deliver him alive, Aaron." He pushed Aaron away and crouched down next to Nathaniel. "Are you dead?"

"He's breath-"

Aaron didn't have time to finish his sentence. Nathaniel kicked Kevin's jaw with his foot and threw himself at the door. He didn't make it far, colliding against Nicky. Nicky screamed and Nathaniel made an odd painful sound before collapsing.

There was a moment of silence, Aaron, Andrew and Kevin staring at Nicky who was still holding his taser. Nicky, on the other hand, was staring at the collapsed form of Nathaniel Wesninski, progressively breathing harder. "Did I kill him?" He shrieked. "I can't go to prison! I'm too young and beautiful!"

Aaron let out a slow sigh and kneeled next to Nathaniel, two fingers pressed to his throat. "Good news," he announced, in the way you'd announce a funeral. "You haven't killed him."

*

Andrew was still of the opinion that tying Nathaniel to a hard and uncomfortable chair was what they should have done, but Nicky was starting to listen to him less and less and had declared a comfy armchair was the way to go. Andrew would have to correct this insubordination eventually, but for now it wasn't necessary. Not only because a less intimidated Nicky cooked more desserts.

A purple bruise was slowly blossoming on Kevin's jaw, which, according to Nicky ( and only Nicky) gave him more of a rugged bad boy look which made him even more attractive. Until he opened his mouth that is. He was grumbling about how unprofessional that capture had been while holding a bag of frozen peas to his jaw. The bag of peas diminished the impact of any complaint he had, thankfully.

Nathaniel woke up all at once, pulling on his bindings and eyes wide open, like even in his sleep, he had already known he was a prisoner. "Let me go," he hissed, as soon as he'd seen them in the room.

They'd had time to study his face in the meantime. Nicky had gushed about supermodel cheekbones, but Andrew had been more interested in the set of scars on Nathaniel's cheeks. Too bad he would never get to ask. Nathaniel Wesninski would be gone by tomorrow morning, handed to the authorities.

Andrew pushed himself off the wall against which he'd been leaning and came to stand in front of him, arms crossed. "No."

"Let. Me. Go," Nathaniel repeated, baring his teeth. "You have no idea what you're dealing with."

Andrew snorted. "You are worth a lot of money, which is only deserved after the troubles we went through to catch you. We'll take the risk."

A creak sounded above their head. The room quietened. The Monsters lived in an old house made of wood. It had a life of its own, creaking and groaning at night, keeping Andrew awake more often than not. It had one advantage though: in the basement, as they were now, they could hear when somebody was walking upstairs, like they could now. And that somebody wasn't any of them since they were all in the room.

"What's-" Nathaniel started, and Andrew didn't hesitate to quiet him with a hand on his mouth. Nathaniel glared, but kept silent as Andrew untied him. Andrew made a sign of the head toward the back door. Aaron quietly opened their emergency chest, pulling out weapons, a first aids kit and some bare necessities. It wasn't the first time they had to leave by the back door like this, but the coincidence was too big. 

Andrew yanked Nathaniel toward the exit by his collar. He didn't look behind him when they left, but Kevin, too curious for his own good, did. He paled instantly, breath coming in short busts. Aaron grabbed his wrist. "Panic later, Day, we are in a hurry," he said and pulled him after them.

The back exit led to a small street with cobblestone. It smelled strongly like smoke and paint, both smells coming from the pottery shop down the street. They knew the streets by heart, having spent years in the small street of Columbia playing with sticks and marbles. Andrew had not forgotten any of the details. He never could. He knew, as they turned into a narrow alleyway, that they needed to climb on a roof to escape the people chasing them.

"Bakery," he hissed.

Nicky and Aaron both nodded, knowing where they were going, though Kevin was looking around with wide scared eyes. They could hear the sound of heavy boots behind them, and the unmistakable sounds of guns attached to someone back, metal clicking against metal.

Left. A place to hide. 

"Here!" 

He pushed Neil behind tall barrels. The strong smell of fish attacked their noses, but they all fit behind, even the tall frame of one Kevin Day. They made themselves as small as possible, curled up on themselves, holding their guns like their life depended on it (and it might). Andrew's heart was beating hard in his chest from all the running, and his breath came in short silent bursts. 

It didn't take long until the alley was filled with footsteps. They came closer, and for a second, they weren't breathing. Even Nathaniel next to him seemed to have frozen.

"Where have they gone?" A voice hissed.

He caught movements from the corner of his eye and turned his head to see Kevin, two hands on his mouth, and paler than a ghost. This wasn't fear, Kevin was a coward, he was easily scared and Andrew knew what it looked like on him. No, this was terror, and it didn't take long for Andrew to guess Kevin must have known that voice.

"We do not know, sir," A deep cavernous voice answered, not far from them. Andrew glanced at Aaron who held up his gun, nodding. They knew what to do if they were discovered.

"Find them! We need that stone."

The seconds it took for them to leave seemed like an eternity, but eventually, the alley was again silent. Andrew crawled from behind the barrels to peek at the street, checking that the coast was clear. 

"I'm going to smell like fish for hours now," Nicky whined.

"Shut up. Would you rather be dead?" Aaron snarled, which made Nicky pout, but at least he was silent. 

Andrew grabbed Nathaniel by the collar and slammed him against the wall. Nathaniel grabbed his wrist, digging his fingers in his upper arms and tried to hit him in the stomach with his knee, but Andrew saw it coming. He yanked him back to only slam him harder, making Nathaniel wince and groan painfully. Nicky gasped loudly and Kevin tried to stop him but Andrew lashed out with his knife.

"Fuck you!" Nathaniel bit out, baring his teeth.

"You brought them here," Andrew accused, his fingers digging into the skin of Nathaniel's throat.

Nathaniel's glare would have been chilling in a situation where he wasn't gripping Andrew's wrist, gasping to breathe. "I fucking told you to let me go. You brought it upon yourself."

He considered it. Considered tightening his grip. It would be so easy, nobody would miss a wanted man. Nathaniel was staring at him with cold eyes, like he was daring Andrew to kill him. _Fuck this_ , Andrew thought and threw him down. He wouldn't be part of someone's suicide plan. 

Nathaniel was curled up on the floor, coughing and heaving, hands gripping the floor. He rolled on his back and stared at the sky, as if he couldn't quite believe he was alive and Andrew took the opportunity to put his feet on his chest. "Who are they? Why are they after you?" 

Nathaniel didn't talk right away. He glanced around first, maybe looking for some sympathy, but he wouldn't get any. Nicky and Kevin were too scared to get between them and Aaron didn't care. Aaron cared about nothing apart from the baker's daughter down the river. Andrew pushed a bit harder on his chest, incentivising him to talk. "Start with who they are."

Nathaniel licked his lips, then sighed. "They are a branch of the military called the Ravens."

Andrew glanced at Kevin who, despite his tall frame, seemed to be trying to make himself smaller than a mouse. What a coward. "Kevin. Is this true?"

Kevin had gone an ashen colour and he nodded, arms crossed in front of himself, rubbing the scar on his hand with his thumb. "It was him."

Nathaniel used this moment of distraction to try and get away. He punched the side of Andrew's knee who had to take a few steps to avoid falling. Nathaniel swiftly rolled on his belly, jumped to his feet and sprinted away. Or he would have, if they hadn't all heard the unmistakable sound of military boots coming back their way.

They didn't have time to run back behind the fish barrels but as if God suddenly gave a shit, an old lady came out of her home right then. They all dived towards her, pushing her back in her flat and piling in the entrance. "What are you doing?" She shrieked the lady and Nicky, with wide apologetic eyes, slapped a hand on her mouth.

"Please stay silent, Madam," he pleaded. Andrew thought knocking her out would have been much faster and less hassle. "We mean you no harm, we will only stay here for a moment."

They waited with bated breaths as the boots came closer. Andrew was sandwiched between Nathaniel and Kevin and he could not say he liked the position. His skin was crawling and his fingers were tight around the handle of his gun. Nathaniel shifted next to him and Andrew glanced his way. Now, that close, he noticed the thin silver chain around his neck, usually hidden by his collar.

The boots didn't stop in front of the flat, and continued steadily down the street. Slowly, they let themselves breathe again. Nicky took his hand off the lady's mouth, who continued talking as if nothing had happened. "Thugs! You are trespassing! Get out of here or I will call the police."

"Shut up lady," Nathaniel growled. "Your voice is more grating than the unfortunate decoration of this dingy flat."

Andrew raised an eyebrow at him. He could not say he did not agree with Nathaniel's statement, but he was not delighted to know that he had basically voiced Andrew's thoughts out loud. The lady scoffed, a hand to her chest. "How dare you, you ungrateful criminal!" Andrew had to give her one thing, she was quite fearless for somebody who was alone faced with armed criminals.

"For fuck's sake." Aaron opened the door, practically throwing Nicky out of the entrance and glaring at the others. "I cannot stand to stay one more second here."

They didn't have to be told twice, briskly making their way outside. Andrew pulled them in an adjacent street where they could hide inside the courtyard of an old and decrepit building. Nathaniel followed them without protesting or a word for that matter. It seemed like all the fight inside him had left. His shoulders were low and slopped, and Andrew noticed for the first time the dark circles under his eyes.

He sat down on the stairs, not caring that the floor was still damp for a recent downpour. His mousy brown hair was even messier than it had been when Andrew had caught him earlier that day. It seemed like a lifetime ago, now. It had been an endless day.

"Why are they chasing you?" Aaron asked, voicing the question that they were all thinking.

Nathaniel looked up, glaring at Aaron. "I'll answer only if you tell me how you knew them." He stared straight at Kevin. "The Ravens."

Kevin's right hand closed around his left wrist. He looked at Andrew, as he often did when he wasn't sure what to do. He didn't have much of a spine, clearly. Andrew shrugged because it wasn't his story to tell or his decision to make. For a moment, Kevin looked lost, like a small child without directions. Eventually, he pushed his left sleeve up, revealing the beginning of a tattoo and the burn running through it, leaving patches of discoloured skin. "They did this," Kevin said, voice trembling, with fear or anger, Andrew couldn't tell.

Nathaniel's eyes widened and he took a step forward. He reached for Kevin's arm, but stopped a bit away, not touching it, only looking. "Do you know what this is? How did you get it?"

Andrew clucked his tongue. "You only get one question, Nathaniel," he tutted. "Pay up and you can ask more."

The glance Nathaniel threw him was colder than the Seventh Circle of Hell. "It's Neil." He stayed silent after that and Andrew wondered if they'd have to tie him up again to get answers. "I have a map. It leads to the key to get to a legendary city called Palmetto. I originally thought you'd caught me because you wanted it." 

Aaron snorted. "There's enough money on your head we didn't give a fuck as to why you were a wanted man."

Andrew leaned against the stone wall behind him, arms crossed. "If we give you to the authorities, you'll end up in the hands of the Ravens, won't you?"

Nathaniel... no, Neil shrugged. "In the legend, Palmetto had powers that could rival with God. Riko would do anything to get steal that power."

It didn't take more for Andrew to make his decision. "We have a common enemy, then. Welcome to the Monsters, then, Neil," he quipped, ignoring Aaron's sound of protest and Nicky's squeal.

*

They hadn't stayed at the house. It could have been a good idea, after all, nobody was stupid enough to go back to the scene of the crime, but Andrew didn't put it past Riko to be dumb enough to check again. They'd made a quick stop to get some essentials (though the term of 'essentials' was very loose in Nicky's case) under the flighty and watchful gaze of one Neil.

When Nicky had asked him whether he had anything he'd just shook his head, and told them that he already carried anything important. Andrew had thrown a change of clothes to his face, already tired of seeing the drab outfit he was wearing.

They'd carefully made their way to Betsy's house. Andrew didn't have friends, but if he did, Betsy would be the closest thing to it.

Betsy's house was in the countryside, close to a forest. It was closer to a cottage than a house really, though the inside was never quite what you'd expect from the home of an older lady. Everything was right where it was supposed to be with nothing out of place. Nothing ever changed much, the flowers on the windowsill were the same every year, Betsy's three coats were hanging on the left side of the door: one for winter, one for summer, and one for mid season. Her umbrella, light blue with white clouds, was folded and in a little umbrella holder right under the coats. Her shoes were neatly lined on the right side. In front of the entrance, a small bookshelf, with the exact same books in the exact same order.

The rest of the house was the same, homey but always tidy. For Andrew, whose memory never let him forget anything, Betsy's house was a comforting place. Things that weren't right stuck out and there was nothing more to remember. The house, in Andrew's opinion, was as calming as its owner.

Betsy Dobson greeted them with a smile, unbothered by their unannounced visit. She was always happy to see Andrew and she was the only person in his life for which that was true. She had dark brown skin, grey hair and laugh lines around her mouth and the corner of her eyes. "Andrew," she said, with a softness that nobody but her had when they said his name, "I wasn't expecting you."

"We had a few unplanned setbacks," Andrew explained. "I've come with Nicky, Aaron, Kevin and the main setback: Neil."

Neil was holding himself tensely close to Kevin, as if he could hide behind him. It wasn't a bad idea, Kevin was tall and broad, but his spine was made of cooked spaghetti and he stepped away, revealing Neil's frowning face. Betsy smiled and took a step forward, holding out her hand. "Hi, my name is Betsy Dobson."

Neil glared at Kevin, clearly annoyed to have been betrayed then stared at Betsy's hand without a word. He didn't take it which only made Betsy smile. "It's nice to meet you, Neil." She turned to the remaining three. "Hi. Pleasure to see you again."

Aaron scoffed, but Nicky gave her a wide smile and accepted a quick hug. Kevin just softened his thrown and nodded which she happily returned.

*

After they'd settled in Betsy's house, Neil had hovered around the room he was going to share with Andrew and Neil, clearly looking to say something. Andrew had just waited, and waited, unpacking a few things, until Neil finally decided to talk.

"I have things," he said, when he heard Nicky and Aaron talking in the living room. He obviously didn't want to tell his secrets to more than one person. "They are hidden in the city. I need to go before we leave."

"I don't trust you to not simply vanish."

Neil sneered. "I will go. Whether you task someone to go with me so I don't simply vanish is your problem."

Andrew sighed, already feeling tired. He knew he couldn't let Neil go by himself, and he didn't trust any of his crew to not let Neil give them the slip. He finished closed his bag and stood up. "Fine. Let's go."

Neil frowned for a second, until understanding downed on his face. He stared, then shrugged, apparently deciding that trying to tell Andrew not to bother was above his pay grade. Seeing as he wasn't paid at all, Andrew agreed that staying silent was a good call.

They left the house after Andrew had warned Betsy they were leaving. They made their way out of the forest in silence until they reached a road. There was a single sign that indicated that a bus passed every half hour. They waited, Neil sometimes kicking rocks with his foot, but otherwise without a word. Eventually, the bus arrived. There was barely anybody in it, only an old lady with a straw hat and a young girl with freckles all over her face, holding a basket of fresh fruits. They sat next to each other. Neil was looking of the window, like he was trying to memorize the way (Andrew was almost sure he actually was). Andrew was close enough that he could see Neil's hair root weren't the drab brown of the rest of his hair, but what looked closer to a muddy auburn. After twenty minutes, Andrew stood up and left the bus at the next station, Neil following him.

"Will you find your way to wherever you want to go from here?"

"Yes, we need to take the tram."

Andrew and Neil walked down the streets, following the lines of the tram. A small boy almost ran into them as he tried to sell newspapers and a lady carrying a bag of fresh vegetables and fruits crossed their path, forcing them to walk on the cobblestone street instead of the sidewalk. The city was already busy at this hour, filled with the early risers and as they walked on the narrow path, Neil and Andrew's arms sometimes brushed. Andrew ignored the way Neil tensed at the faint touch. 

They stopped at the tram station. Neil leaned against the sign that indicated the name of their stops. "Where are we going?" Andrew asked.

"We have three stops," Neil replied, but didn't elaborate. So be it, Andrew wasn't in the mood to extract secrets from him.

The tram was crowded and Andrew gripped the hand bar until his knuckles turned white. There was a man almost plastered against his back, and a woman close enough he could smell her perfume. It was sweet and flowery and made Andrew want to gag. Three stops seemed like an eternity, until finally Neil pushed people out the way, Andrew following, and they emerged on a flowery street. Clotheslines were hanging between windows, colorful fabric swaying in the wind. Balconies were decorated with green plants and popping flowers. At the end of it, a tall building. Neil led them there and produced a key from under his shirt to open the door.

There was nothing but spiralling stairs going up. Andrew looked at them with clear distaste, until he heard an amused huff from Neil. "I didn't know you were even capable of showing emotions," Neil sneered and grabbed the railing to start walking up the staircase.

It was a slow and tortuous climb and Andrew hated every second of it. His hatred was encouraged by the fact that Neil was practically skipping up the stairs even after four floors. Finally, the end of this hell presented itself in the form of a wooden door at the top of the stairs. Neil pulled the same keys that were around his neck and opened the door. 

Andrew's stomach plummeted, and he tried to avoid gripping the wall in fear. They were higher than most of the buildings in the city, towering over houses and shops, a forest of roofs around them. In the middle of the rooftop was a large aviary with dozens of white doves fluttering inside. Neil was practically glowing as he took a handful of grains and opened the door. The birds converged towards him making Andrew fear they would eat him, but they just perched on his arms, shoulders or head, picking at the grains in his hands.

"Come here," Neil invited him in, after he'd turned carefully towards Andrew.

Andrew shook his head, scrunching his nose. "If I wanted to get shat on by some white pigeons, I would have asked."

Neil snorted which startled some of the doves who went flying away. "I've been living in this tower for the past few months. They've been good companions."

"I bet they're great conversationalists."

Neil rolled his eyes and shook his arms to dislodge the birds who went flying in a flurry of white feathers.

He stepped outside of the aviary, leaving the door open. One of the doves had stayed on his shoulder. "Nobody else will take care of them once I'm gone," he said, petting the head of the bird. Andrew didn't say anything. He didn't anything to say after all, Neil was right. "I wanted to say goodbye and let them out."

"I thought you had things," Andrew pointed out, quoting Neil from memory.

Neil nodded and walked to a wooden box behind the door that Andrew hadn't seen, too busy trying to avoid looking above the wall of the tower. He pulled out a brown bag who had clearly seen better days. "I do," he confirmed, holding the strap of his bag.

"Are you done?"

"Do you want to help me run inside the aviary to make the birds fly away?"

"I'll pass," Andrew declined, flatly.

Neil shrugged. "Your loss." He ran inside the birdcage, swinging his arms around. Wings fluttered, birds flew around squawking and Andrew thought he heard Neil laugh over the sound of panicked doves flying away. Soon, only him and a couple of birds were left. His hair was a mess, a white feather stuck in his curls, and his face was faintly flushed from the effort. 

"I'm done now," he said, with a pleased look on his face that Andrew didn't like.

He turned away without another word.

*

Dinner was a warm and quiet affair, with Betsy mostly listening to the boys bicker and Neil keeping to himself at the end of the table. They cleaned the dishes, then Kevin, Aaron and Nicky left the room for bed. Betsy pulled a book out of her extensive library and excused herself for her office where, Andrew knew, she had a huge armchair which she loved using for reading. Only Neil was left, and Andrew didn't need to be a detective to guess he had something to say.

He hesitated around the entrance of the kitchen like he wasn't sure if he wanted to stay or not. "I am surprised you haven't already tried to escape," Andrew informed him with his usual unfazed tone.

Neil for once, didn't look away. He held Andrew's gaze defiantly, which only served to amuse him. "I don't exactly have anywhere to go, thanks to you."

"You got lucky, we decided you were more useful to us alive."

Neil pursed his lips but Andrew had won that battle, and he didn't say anything. He tilted his head to the right, in the direction of Betsy's study. "Who is she to you?"

Andrew pushed a chair with his foot, flicking his fingers toward it in a sign to sit down. Neil stubbornly refused, crossing his arms, so Andrew opened the window and lit a cigarette up. "As you can imagine, she's not my mother."

He looked at Neil from the corner of his eyes, and it was clear as day Neil was holding back a sarcastic comment. He might be trying to pass as a quiet mouse, but that boy had the sharp tongue of a snake and he wasn't very good at hiding it. "It's rare for a woman of her age to live alone."

"She has the reputation of a witch, nobody wanted to marry her," Andrew said flatly which was only half a joke. 

Neil frowned at him, clearly expecting more. There was nothing more to say because Andrew didn't know any more. When you couldn't forget anything, not knowing was a way to protect yourself and others. Silence fell between them. It wasn't quite comfortable, filled with questions that weren't being asked, but it was understanding. They didn't know each other and silence was a way they could exist a moment together, without conflict.

Neil was the first one to cave. "You didn't chase me for the map to Palmetto's key," he said. It was a statement not a question, and Andrew awaited the rest. "Why were you chasing me?"

Andrew took a drag of his cigarette. "Money." 

"That's it?"

"Why would there be a need for everything else? Money is the only motivation one needs."

Neil's gaze fell on Andrew, although he seemed to be lost in thought, not really seeing him. He was playing with the edge of his top, too big for him. They could hear the faint hum of Aaron and Nicky discussing, but it was unintelligible from here. Outside, some late night birds were crowing, but otherwise the night was quiet.

"I want to destroy it," Neil declared. Andrew looked back at him, and he could see the resolve, cold and unmovable in his eyes. "Will you help me?"

Andrew flicked his cigarette and watched the ashes fall. "What's in it for us?"

Neil was slow to answer, staring greedily at the smoke that came out of the cigarette. "The city is known to contain mountains of gold and jewels. Anything you can carry is yours."

Andrew breathed out slowly, watching the smoke curl above his head, slowly disappearing through the open window. "All we have to do is get you there?"

"That's it, yes."

Andrew leaned back until he could rest his head against the wall, looking at Neil from under his lashes. He didn't miss the fact that there was no mention of a return trip. "Deal."

*

After Neil had left the room, he opened the window further. The fresh air of the night came in and he extinguished his cigarette on the window sill. He crossed his arms on it and leaned forward. "How much did you hear?"

Betsy looked up from where she was watering her plants. Her office had a French door which led directly to the garden, and Andrew had heard her come outside earlier. She smiled, a warm thing that creased her eyes and the corners of her mouth. "Most of it. I didn't want to intrude. I would not have mentioned it if you hadn't," she assured. "Your business is yours."

Andrew hummed. "Come inside."

Betsy let out an amused laugh. "I am, I am," she said, as she made her way back to the back exit of her office. A few seconds later, she appeared at the door of the kitchen in her nightgown and fluffy night robe. Her hair was wrapped in dark blue silk and she had her round glasses on her nose. She shuffled in and went through her cabinets, pulling out a small pot, milk and cocoa powder. "Hot chocolate?"

Andrew nodded. She smiled at him and went to work. She poured the milk in the pot and turned on the hob. As the milk heat up, she took two mugs out of her pantry and put them on the table, one in front of Andrew, one on the other side, where she would sit. "You know your job," she told him.

He did, from hours spent sitting at this very table, his feet dangling from the chair watching her make jam or pies or writing her grocery list. The last ingredient was always chocolate. Andrew opened the cocoa powder box and and filled each cup with two teaspoons of powder, being careful to avoid spilling any over the side.

Betsy took the small pot, which had a beak to the side, and poured the milk in the cups. Andrew twirled his to make to dissolve the cocoa but left Betsy's alone. She had a very specific way of mixing hers, or she wouldn't drink it even if she loved it. She'd gotten better over the years at avoiding those kinds of unrealistic beliefs, but she couldn't stop all of them.

She sat down in front of Andrew, smoothing her fluffy bathrobe. "That boy, Neil," she said, looking at her spoon spinning in her cup. "It has been a while since you've added a new person to your group, Andrew."

"He hasn't been added. He's a prisoner."

Betsy laid her chin in her hand. "He doesn't look like much of a prisoner from where I stand," she pointed out. "He could be leaving right now, nobody is checking up on him."

Andrew glared at her, but as usual, Betsy was unfazed. "We made a deal, he won't leave."

She hummed. The fresh air of the night was rolling in the room in lazy fresh waves. Kevin was snoring in the other, regular and familiar. It had taken Andrew months to get used to it, but now, he expected it or he couldn't help thinking something was wrong. "Deals don't make people stay," Betsy said.

It was a conversation they'd already had many times. There was no point in answering, as both knew they wouldn't convince the other. Andrew was fine with it. He preferred that, Betsy's foot brushing with his in one of the rare ways he tolerated unasked touches, the warmth of his cup between his palms, and the sound of Kevin sleeping.

*

He couldn't tell at first why he woke up. He opened his eyes but it was dark in the room and he ended up looking at the black of the night. It was still too early to be woken up, even somebody like him with insomnia. He waited to see if something revealed itself.

Footsteps. 

It wasn't Nicky or Aaron who were on the couch of the living room and whose footsteps he knew by heart. It wasn't Kevin or Neil either: they were sleeping in the same room as Andrew and he could hear both their breathings. It could have been Betsy, but she always carried a lamp when she walked around the house during the night, and no light shined under the door.

He sat up, grabbing the gun under his pillow. Often, his brother called him paranoid. At least, this would be a time to prove him wrong. He slipped out of bed, walking to the window and pulling open the blinds. The light of the moon illuminated the bedroom enough to see the outline of Neil sitting in his bed. Andrew put a finger to his lips and indicated the door. Neil nodded. Andrew could see that his hand was already outstretched towards his bag, as if he was ready to leave. Andrew knew Neil was used to being on the run, and that only served as more confirmation.

He cocked his gun, listening. The footsteps came close to the door. Both Neil and he held their breaths to see if they would come inside, positioning themselves on either side of the opening. The handle turned. Andrew put his finger on the trigger. 

The door opened. Neil jumped on the intruder and threw a cloth over their eyes. There was muffled cursing, though not loud enough to wake up Kevin who could sleep through the end of the world. Andrew tackled them, but they, he, was too big to be thrown to the floor. The man was tall and strong, and managed to push Neil away, sending him to the ground. Andrew couldn't make out his features in the darkness but he held himself ready to fight all the same.

"What do you want?" Andrew asked the intruder.

"The fugitive. He's worth a lot."

Figured. Andrew wasn't surprised, he probably would have done the same. He scoffed and hit the side of the intruder's leg with his foot. He was faster than Andrew had expected and almost managed to dodge, but Andrew caught him behind the leg, which made the man groan in pain. "Fuck!" He cursed and held himself to the wall, a hand around his thigh.

Neil took a few steps backwards, and Andrew heard the shuffle of bedsheets. Kevin's head appeared in the moonlight. "What's happening?" He asked, yawning loudly.

Andrew was distracted just enough for the intruder to hit him at the temple. Dizzy, he stumbled backwards, where Neil and Kevin were. Neil caught his shoulders and looked at him with intent, before tilting his head toward the window. Andrew stared, unable to understand.

He almost missed the moment the intruder tried to jump on them. Neil pushed him away, and dodged the grab. Behind them was the open window, and understanding clicked in Andrew's mind when he saw Neil position his foot right in the way of the man. His injured leg caught on it. He fell with a shout, through the window, and into the rose bushes lined along the back of the house.

Betsy would be mad at him, she loved those bushes.

Andrew shook his head and tried to re-concentrate. He grabbed Kevin's ankle and pulled hard. Kevin slipped out of bed, hitting the floor, angry but awake. "Let's go."

Kevin disentangled himself from his sheet. "I despise every inch of your being," he snarled, but he followed them out of the room.

They ran around the house, Andrew periodically checking behind them to see if they weren't followed by the intruder, but he had probably decided it was easier to catch them from the outside. Neil was the fastest, even with his bag slung on his shoulder. 

Andrew ran to the living room and was greeted by the sight of his brother holding at gunpoint a black girl with a bandana around the bottom of her face and Nicky shaking as a knife was pointed at his throat. He couldn't see who had him trapped. They were shorter than Nicky and were hidden by his frame from here. All he knew is that they were strong, and their hand was steadfast.

Andrew raised his gun. "Don't move." 

The black woman frowned, raising her hands. "Where's the one who went after you?" She asked.

Andrew shook his gun with a raised eyebrow. "I have the gun, I ask the questions. But if you must know, he made a dive into the rosebushes."

"Fuck," the black woman said. She looked back at the other person with her, the one hidden behind Kevin. They didn't say any words, but they seemed to know each other enough that they didn't need them.

The one behind Nicky took a step back, revealing a woman with broad shoulders, bleached white hair and hard black eyes. Andrew saw her head move, and guessed she was telling her acolyte that they were leaving. "Stay where you are, or this one can say goodbye to life," she warned, the first thing she said since they've entered the living room.

The room was silent as the two intruders slowly moved back toward the door, as if everybody was holding their breaths. Nicky's eyes were wide and frantic, looking at Andrew as he tried to control his own breathing. Andrew glanced left, where Neil was holding a switchblade he'd never seen before. Aaron was close to the only lamp of the room and Andrew entertained the idea of telling him to turn it off so he could throw himself at the attackers in the dark. After all, he knew the place by heart, knew each of those corners, even each one of the books on the shelves. 

He didn't have to. As soon as they reached the door, the intruders didn't waste time. The one who wasn't holding Nicky grabbed the keys on the console table and opened the door. They carefully pulled the door, one of them always watching the rest of the room. Once they were sure nobody was coming after them, the woman holding Nicky pushed him forward with her foot, sending him sliding to the floor. Andrew jumped after them but he had to sidestep his cousin to reach the door, and that was enough to see their dark silhouettes disappearing into the night.

*

The following morning could be at best described as rough, and at worst as a disastrous. Andrew had gone to see Betsy after the intrusion, and had found her sitting in her bed, holding an empty class bottle, as if ready to defend herself. He hadn't admitted it out loud, but seeing her fine and ready to fight had soothed a part of him that he tried to keep as hidden as possible.

They'd spent the night camping in the living room, one of them holding watch while the others slept in the bed, or one of the armchairs around the room. They were comfortable for chairs, yes, but not exactly the best for sleeping, and Nicky was now complaining loudly about having a crick in his neck. Kevin was walking like an old man, wincing every time he needed to move his back.

Andrew didn't know, and wasn't sure he wanted to know, what he looked like, but Betsy and Neil were the only one who didn't look as affected by the difficult night.

"Andrew," Betsy called after breakfast, once all the other boys had disappeared to gather their belongings. "You do not have to leave."

Andrew looked pointedly towards the living room, where the aftermath of the fight of the night before was still visible. "You hate disorder in your house."

Betsy laughed, a gentle and thing that showed the wrinkles around her mouth. "That I cannot deny," she agreed, with a fondness that made Andrew's heart ache. "Is there any way I can convince you to stay?"

There were, but Andrew wasn't about to let her in on the secret. "No."

She hummed, looking disappointed, but she didn't try to convince him any further. "I understand." She opened the box of keys on console table at the entrance, pulling out a set of keys that Andrew had never seen before. She slid her feet in her green boots and tightened her nightgown around her. "I would like to show you something. Is that okay?"

Andrew nodded and followed her outside. It was still early, which meant morning dew had settled on the leaves of the plants and the grass floor. Betsy's garden looked random and organic at first glance, until you came closer and noticed the way the rose trees had been artfully and patiently wrapped around cast iron doors, the way ivy climbed up a lamp pole but hadn't seem to spread anywhere else. Andrew knew she spent a lot of time there, and had done everything herself.

She walked along a stone path that led further into the garden, closer to the forest behind her cottage. Andrew followed silently alongside her until they reached an old barn. He remembered it from the few times he'd come to this part of the garden before, but had never gone inside. The door had always been locked and the windows were boarded up. If it had been anyone else but Betsy, he wouldn't have cared, but Betsy was... It didn't matter what she was, she was just different.

On the door was a huge rusted padlock. Betsy slid a heavy iron key in the keyhole and turned it. It made a clanking noise as it opened. She removed the padlock from the door and pushed open the old thing. 

It was dusty in the barn and smelled like a place that hadn't been open in years. Andrew's eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness inside compared to the bright light of the morning sun, but eventually, he could see the shape of a large object. He entered, pulling open the other door and letting enough light in to make sense of what he was seeing.

It was a ship. Old and dusty, but a ship nonetheless. It was fairly small, with only one room as a cockpit and another one under, which Andrew supposed was the engine room. where he supposed was the motor. It was painted a dark green, although the paint had been chipped or scrapped away in places. It looked like a modified military ship, and Andrew looked at Betsy from the corner of his eyes. She chuckled at his questioning gaze. "I had a life before meeting you. I'll tell you someday," she said, with the kind of tone that told him it was a promise.

"Does it function?" He asked, changing the subject.

Betsy's brown eyes were full of mirth as she pulled out of her pocket a small key attached to keyring in the shape of a swallow. "Only one way to know."

She walked to the ship, and Andrew came to stand beside her. On the side of the ship was a keyhole, where she inserted the key. The door opened with a click, and Betsy had to push it to the side to open it, the mechanism extending metal stairs at the same time. It was dark and dusty when they stepped inside, and the ceiling wasn't high. It wasn't a problem for Andrew or Betsy who weren't tall people, but Kevin and Nicky would definitely have to be careful. Andrew almost wanted to snicker, but kept his amusement to himself.

Betsy patted the pilot chair, sending more dust flying around. The whole ship would need a deep cleaning. She sat down, and the fact that she didn't try to correct any of the setting of the seat told Andrew that she had probably been the last person to fly the ship. She turned on the ignition and the ship slowly came to life. It didn't sound like new ships, sputtering to life like they'd woken it from a profound sleep. The lights were the first to turn on with clicking noises, the wings got into place with a slow metallic sound, and finally the motor turned on, coughing like an old man. Nonetheless, it seemed to work, and Betsy demonstrated it, by slowly pulling on the wheel, making the ship move forward at an equally slow pace.

Betsy turned to him with a grin. "Looks like we've found you transportation."

*

It took them an entire day to clean the ship, though Nicky had done most of the work, to be fair. They were sore at the end of the day, Kevin sneezing regularly because of all the dust they'd inhaled. They took turn showering and when Andrew had finished his, he looked for Neil.

He wasn't in the living with the others, nor was he in the bedroom or the kitchen. For a moment, he'd thought Neil had fled, which would have rendered this whole operation useless. With rage, he slammed opened the front door, ready to chase him, only to find him sitting on the bench in front of the house, staring at the garden without seeing it. He looked up at Andrew when he heard the door open.

"Tomorrow, we are leaving," Andrew bit out, annoyed at himself for how angry he'd become.

Neil stared, blue eyes unblinking. Andrew didn't move. "Is that all you wanted to say?" He asked, eventually. "I could have figured that out myself."

Andrew glared at him. He hesitated for a moment, glancing at the space between Neil and the edge of the bench, and finally sitting down next to him, making sure there was ample space between them. "I am telling you because you're the one who is supposed to know where we are going."

Neil let out a sigh, leaning back against the back of the bench. "I don't know."

Andrew's gaze snapped to him. "You don't know?" He repeated through gritted teeth, wondering if all of this had been for fucking nothing.

Neil raised in chin with defiance, the angle of his jaw sharp, his eyes cold. "Not like you asked." Andrew was about to pull his knives out of his armbands when Neil fished something from under his shirt.

It was a pendant, attached to a cord. It was beautiful, the way things that are simple but expertly carved are, made from a deep blue stone he'd never seen before. The stone wasn't quite see-through, but it glowed when light hit it right, like the darkness of the night being lifted by the morning sun. There was an intricate design engraved in gold on the front of the pendant, looking strangely like an eye with a drop of water under it. Andrew found himself wanting to reach for the pendant, wanting to trace its carving with the pad of his index finger.

"What is it?" He asked, tearing his gaze from it.

Neil let it fall back under his shirt, and Andrew was almost disappointed. "My mother gave it to me. She told me it was the key to finding Palmetto, but I do not know how."

Andrew gripped the bench until his knuckles turned white. "We're leaving tomorrow," he snapped. "Figure out how to find Palmetto by the time we are in the air, or I _will_ throw you overboard. We don't need dead weight."

Neil looked back at him, something like thunder in his blue eyes. "I'll pull you down with me."

Andrew stood up and opened the door of the house. "You can try," he said, and slammed the door behind him.

*

There was barely enough space in the ship for all five of them. Nicky complained loudly about it until the rest of the boys were so tired of hearing him they threatened to push him off. Nicky laughed as if they were joking, but he hadn't completely been convinced it seemed, as he stopped complaining after that.

They had no lead to find Palmetto and had taken to flying aimlessly for most of the day. They had enough fuel for a couple of days at most, which given the cramped quarters, wasn't as annoying as it could have been. They'd split themselves between the two rooms of the ship to sleep, hanging hammocks from the ceiling of the control room and the engine room, Kevin or Aaron flying the ship in shifts.

Neil spent most of his time avoiding them, finding dark corners and perching himself on weird (and dangerous) places like a skittish cat. It was seriously starting to annoy Andrew who wanted to find out what Neil was hiding. There was still so much missing from the truth and they had no way of finding Palmetto.

After a day of wanting to throw up every time he looked through the window of the control room and knowing Neil was on the small platform behind the control room since he'd woken up, he decided he couldn't handle it anymore. He opened the door and stepped outside, gripping the railing until his palm hurt with how hard he was holding it. The night had fallen an hour earlier and the air was cold and biting, slipping into his coat with malicious ease.

Neil seemed perfectly comfortable though, leaning against the railing, eyes lost in the dark expanse of the night. He slowly looked at Andrew, like he hadn't know how to turn away from the sky full of stars. He tilted his head as he watched Andrew make his painful way towards his position, something twisting at the corner of his mouth. Andrew wasn't sure, but it seemed like the ghost of a smile. "You're afraid of height," he pointed out. It wasn't a question, and Andrew couldn't help feeling even angrier at the whole situation.

"I hate you," he growled, finally close to Neil.

"I must show you something," Neil said, without preamble. "It might help in finding Palmetto. Do you have a light?"

Andrew pulled a lighter from his pocket, flicking it and releasing fire. Neil seemed to flinch from it for a second, but the moment passed and he brought his hands around the flame to protect it from the wind. His pendant has slipped out from under his shirt and his eyes were the same colour as the stone in the orange light of the fire, like two bottomless pools of ink. Andrew lost himself for a brief instant in the way the flame was reflected in them. 

Neil retrieved his hands and Andrew had to reluctantly let go of the barrier to be able to protect the fire. He watched as Neil turned around, and, with a sharp breath, pulled up his shirt.

Andrew had expected many things, burns, scars, maybe some strange vestigial wings, but it was an intricate tattoo covering the entire expanse of his back. Andrew had to take a step closer to be able to make out the details. In the middle was a majestic tree, tall and full of leaves delicately drawn and shaded one by one. Under it was a dark ball, with complicated geometric patterns on it, the tree's roots curling around it but not touching. Around the design was text in a language Andrew couldn't read, but the writing was small and he couldn't imagine how long it must have taken. Not all the text looked the same though. On Neil's left shoulder, there was a small paragraph of text in a different handwriting, shaky, like the person who'd written it wasn't used to tattooing. Andrew put his hands on Neil back to read it, and Neil shivered with surprise. 

"Who did that to you?"

Andrew took off his hand from Neil's skin, and Neil pulled down his shirt before turning around. "My mother," he answered, almost too quietly to be heard over the wind whistling in their ears. "She said it was my most important possession and it was a gift and power that belonged to our family. She was afraid my father would find it."

Andrew didn't have much faith in parents, and Neil's mother didn't seem to deserve much anyway. Forcing your child to bear the secrets of your family on his skin forever wasn't in Andrew's list of acceptable behaviours for caretakers. "Top left, the tattoo was different," he pointed out, instead of saying his thoughts about Neil's mother.

Neil's face twisted with sadness. "She wrote that. It's an old bedtime song that she used to sing to me."

He fell silent after that, uninclined to speak anymore. Andrew hadn't lost many people in his life, hadn't had any to lose to start with, but he knew the pain of loss, knew the pain of loneliness. Quietly, Neil started to hum under his breath. Andrew didn't say anything, didn't even look at him, couldn't have seen much anyway with the lighter turned off. Maybe that was why Neil felt comfortable enough to start singing.

Andrew guessed it was the song that had been immortalised on his skin. It was in a language he couldn't understand although some of the words felt like old version of the ones he knew. Neil didn't necessarily had a beautiful voice, too low and too raspy for the song, but it was soothing in its own way. After a verse, a light starting shining from under Neil's shirt. He pulled the pendent from under the fabric and it erupted in light until a beam was emerging from the pendant, pointing toward the night.

Neil seemed at loss for words, which would have amused Andrew in other circumstances. 

"Looks like we found how to activate your key for your castle, runaway."

*

Kevin had stared at the pendant with something like fear and amazement. He'd reached for it, his thumb rubbing the smooth stone, turning it around, holding it to the light, like a precious gem. That's what it could have been really, as the stone was something Andrew had never seen before. He'd let it go, the pendant falling back on Neil's chest, still emitting the same bright light.

They'd followed it for most of the night, although they'd all stayed awake. They weren't fooled, they knew that the beam from the pendant was a beacon to their position. They would soon need to land if they wanted to continue their journey, but none of them liked the idea.

It was in the early morning, the sun rays barely brushing along the ship, that they heard the noise of another motor. "Fuck," Aaron said out loud. "Couldn't this fucking castle be easier to find?" 

The ship didn't have much in terms of weapons, but it did have an old missile launcher attached to the deck at the back of the ship. Andrew took a deep breath and opened the door. A hand on his arm stopped him, and Andrew looked up to see Neil looking at him with determination. "I'm coming with you."

"They want you."

Neil shrugged. "Exactly. They won't kill me."

Andrew couldn't argue with the logic and had to let Neil follow. The wind was stronger than it had been at night, and looking around, he managed to spot the dark shape of a storm coming their way. The beam coming from the pendant was pointing straight into it.

The next minute was tense. With the clouds around them, they couldn't see the ship, although they could hear it. It made figuring out its exact position a hard task. Andrew's eyes darted around, desperately trying to see a shape, a wing, anything that would indicate where the ship was.

Finally, it emerged from a cloud above them. It was huge compared to Betsy's small ship, at least three times its size. It was long and thin and painted black, like the head of a bomb. It towered over them, felt like an eagle staring at its prey, and Andrew couldn't help the shiver going down his spine. There was no doubt that the ship belonged to the Ravens. The world around them was slowly becoming darker as the storm was catching up to them. It gave the scene an air of apocalypse, with the wind whipping through their clothes, cold and biting, the sound of thunder coming from the black clouds ahead of them.

The Ravens didn't attack. They would have destroyed their ship if they had, but Andrew knew it wasn't out of the goodness of their heart that they hadn't done so already. They wanted Neil, after all. One of the Ravens came on the little platform on the top of the ship. It took a moment for Andrew to recognise him.

Riko, Kevin's nightmare.

He didn't have time to go and check on Kevin, couldn't leave Neil alone outside and unprotected. He wondered, though, if Kevin was frozen in fear, or had curled up in a corner to escape the gaze of his adopted brother.

"Hand Nathaniel to us and you will be spared," Riko said, holding an amplifier. With his black clothes billowing around him, he looked like the Grim Reaper. Andrew couldn't help the sarcastic snort that escaped him. 

"Don't listen to him. He's lying."

Neil didn't have to tell him. He prepared the canon, aiming it towards the Raven's ship. It was big enough that Andrew didn't try to aim anywhere in particular. Truthfully, it was a loosing battle, but Andrew intended to make as much damage as possible before they were rendered incapable of flying (and therefore dead). He took a deep breath, braced himself and pulled the lever. It triggered the shooting mechanism sending the ball flying at high speed toward the Raven's ship, his ears ringing from the noise.

It hit toward the back with the sound of crunching metal before falling. The hull of the ship wasn't broken, although there was significant dent in it and several windows were broken. Andrew couldn't make out the details of Riko's face from where they were, but the shape of it seemed almost distorted by his rage. He disappeared into the ship again and a moment later the huge ship was diving towards them, aiming for collision.

Andrew tried to grab Neil's hard behind him to protect themselves inside the cockpit, but his hands closed on empty space. He whirled around, heart in his throat and saw Neil standing on the railing ready to jump. The world was falling apart around him, the storm huge and threatening, light slithering from inside the fog and he was standing, about to fall, arms outstretched. Andrew wondered if that's what angel looked like. 

_Sorry_ , Neil mouthed.

Under him, a small plane which he hadn't heard over the wind whistling in his ears and the aftermath of the canon. He snarled something, he wasn't sure what, throwing himself at Neil and grabbing him just before he jumped. 

He reached him, his fingers closing around Neil's ankle, but the weight was too much, sending them both plummeting to their death.

*

Kevin Day had never considered himself a courageous person. He knew he was smart and ambitious, but bravery had never been one of his qualities. Spending the last two years with Andrew, though, he'd learned about it, learned how stubborn Andrew could be, as if he could protect Kevin from the entire world. Kevin wasn't entirely sure if it was stupidity or courage, but he'd admired Andrew nonetheless.

Thus, turning around expecting to see Andrew and Neil standing on the deck at the back of the ship and seeing nobody filled him with dread, his breathing speeding, his heart pounding. "They're gone," he gasped out. The rest of the crew looked at him with confusion. "They're gone!" He repeated, his voice high with panic and finally, they understood, their eyes widening as they checked behind themselves. 

Kevin ran outside, fighting against the wind to open the door. Their small ship couldn't handle such strong blasts, and he had to grip the barrier to avoid falling. There were no trace of Andrew and Neil, though, and Kevin let out a broken noise, not quite a sob, not quite a scream, stolen away by the wind. He stared in defeat at the Ravens' ship. They must have taken them, they must have found a way to steal Neil from the deck, they had failed, they were dead, Kevin should have been more careful-

"Kevin!" A shout broke him out of panicked trance. He looked at Aaron with wide eyes, not understanding why he was pointing in the opposite direction to the Ravens' ship who was now flying away.

Emerging from the cloud was a garish ship in green and pink, significantly bigger than their own. It looked almost like a boat, with a curved bottom and a pointed front. It made little noise, although even if it had been loud, it was almost impossible to hear anything so close to the storm. The ship veered towards them and for a panicked moment, Kevin thought they were going to collide, but it stayed at a relatively safe distance, considering the flying solutions.

A head appeared from behind the side. It belonged to a woman with thin black eyes and distinctive white hair: one of the intruders. Aaron swore next to him and started pushing himself from the wall to reach the canon, but Kevin stopped him when the lady raised a white flag.

"They seem to want peace," he told Aaron, bending down to be closer to his ear.

Aaron tugged his arm away with a grimace. "I don't trust them."

The woman raised a hand as if asking them to wait. Within a handful of seconds, she was joined by a tall man with curly hair defying gravity, dark skin and a wide smile that seemed out of place in the situation. He was holding a loudhailer, and gripped the handrail before addressing them.

"First, sorry for breaking in your home!" He shouted. The loudhailer helped, but the world still looked like it was ending around them. Aaron raised his hands and flipped them off, while Kevin hissed at him to stop. "That's fair! We thought Nathaniel had money, that's what the rumours around him have been saying."

He waited, as if to see whether he would get an answer. Kevin stared at him, wondering why he wasn't continuing. He pointed at his ear, then at the man before crossing his arms. The man made an apologetic grimace finally noticing that Kevin and Aaron could not actually answer. "Forgot about that. Look, all we want is money and we hate the Ravens. You won't catch up with them, but we can, so here's our proposal: we help you get Nathaniel and the second blond psycho back and in exchange, you let us leave with as much of Palmetto's gold as we can carry."

Kevin couldn't think, he didn't know what to do, his left hand clenching and unclenching, his right hand tracing the scars on his wrist and hand, like he often did when fear overtook him. They weren't sure that Andrew and Neil had been captured by the Ravens. After all, their ship had never been closed, and it wasn't their choice to give away Palmetto's riches and... 

"Stop thinking," Aaron said. "They're either on this ship or they're dead. That doesn't give us many options. Say yes."

When had Kevin become the leader of the grouper in Andrew's absence, he wondered. He was a coward, not somebody to look up to. And yet, Aaron was looking at him, waiting for him to say something. Kevin took a deep breath, held the handrail with his two hands, and screamed his agreement in the space between the ships.

*

Sun rays were gently washing over his face, as Andrew slowly regained consciousness. He was lying on something soft and warm, the sound of birds singing filling his ears, and something tickling his nose. He opened his eyes, blinking at the light around him. At first, he couldn't see much, brown fabric being in the foreground of his vision. It took his brain a handful of seconds to recognise Neil's pants, and even longer to notice that his hand was still gripping Neil's ankle tightly. He let go, the muscles of his hand thanking him as he flexed his fingers. He laid his palm flatly on the ground, resting it in green and plush grass.

He rolled on his back to take in the world around himself. The weather was warm, with a light breeze gently playing with his hair and the sky was devoid of any cloud. Andrew sat up and saw that he was in a garden. The floor was covered in well kept grass filled with little spring flowers, some white, some yellow, others a soft purple, scattered around the floor and giving it the air of fairytale garden. Rose bushes were scattered around the place, some climbing poles, or fighting for space with ivy along walls. There was a small river, the water clearer than anything he'd seen before, which seemed to be throwing itself in the emptiness around the garden. The most important though were roots twisting on themselves before joining to become the trunk of a giant tree with a full and lush foliage. 

Andrew recognised it instantly: it was the same tree as Neil's back tattoo.

Neil was still passed out. The light of the sun brought out his freckles, even softening the sharp planes of his cheekbones. He didn't look as unreachable, lying in the grass of an impossible garden. Maybe it was because the whole situation was impossible itself, it made Neil more tangible.

Andrew shoved Neil's shoulder, as if he could get rid of his thoughts by waking him up. Neil woke up with a gasp, reaching for something under his head and only finding grass. He blinked, finally recognising Andrew, although confusion didn't leave his face as he looked around. When his gaze fell on the tree, understanding filled his eyes. He didn't move for a long moment, just looking, without words. 

Andrew wondered what he was thinking about.

"So I've made it," he breathed. He sounded resigned, sad maybe, relieved. Andrew knew very little of Neil's story, too little to begin to understand what Neil must have felt now that he'd reached the infamous city so closely linked to his family.

A loud noise drew their attention. Andrew reached for his gun, but it must had fallen when... He wasn't quite sure what had happened after he'd grabbed Neil, he only remembered falling, the emptiness of the sky and the all-encompassing fear he'd felt. They stood up, ready to run at any moment.

It was a robot, walking slowly. It was tall, made of metal in simple shapes vaguely resembling a human. The head was a cylinder, the torso was vaguely triangular, same for what served it of hips, and his arms were too long for his body by human standards. It was scuffed in places, although the somebody had taken the time to paint flowers all along its left arm, with which it was holding a watering can.

"It's a gardener?" Neil said, with disbelief.

"That must explain why the garden is in such condition even though the place looks abandoned," Andrew said, logically, although there was nothing logical in this situation. They were in the garden of a flying ancient city for fuck's sake.

They followed the robot gardener to the tree. There was another one, sitting against it in the middle of flowers. It looked older, and must not have moved in a long time, as birds had elected to make a nest on it. Still, it was working, as it raised its head when the first robot arrived. Neither of them paid attention to Neil and Andrew, so Neil, in a feat of stupidity or bravery, walker closer to them. The gardener robot only watered the plants, not caring about them. 

There was writing on the side of the robots. Andrew couldn't read it, but it looked like a serial number. "A-B-E-1" Neil read.

"Almost sounds like a name," Andrew pointed out. "Abby, the gardener robot."

He thought Betsy would have liked the place, the peacefulness, the kindness of that strange robot who had only been made for taking care of flowers.

"The sitting robot is Wymack then!" Neil said, with a smile. "Y-M-4-K."

They could have forgotten the rest of the world existed for days, eating fruits from the trees and drinking the water of the river, fresh and as clear as crystal. Andrew thought he could have kissed Neil against one of them, licked into his mouth to taste the sweetness of the fruit on his tongue.

A loud crash brought them back to reality. Neil's head snapped toward the door on the other side of the garden. "Riko," he spit out, like he'd eaten something spoiled. "We need to get to the control room. We can't let the Ravens use Palmetto."

The inside of Palmetto was completely different inside. While the garden had seemed out of time, almost impossible to place, the inside was sleek and metallic, geometric patterns of line criss-crossing on the walls and the floor. Hallways followed hallways in a dizzying pattern and even the only reason Andrew wasn't completely lost was thanks to his memory of the turns they'd done.

Neil wasn't running, but walking with his fingers trailing along the wall, as if he was looking for something, a crack maybe, or a hidden door.

"What are you..."

Neil pushed him against the wall. Andrew almost stabbed him, given his surprise, but Neil pressed a finger against his own lips, so close to Andrew he could barely think. He took a deep breath, stealing himself, as Raven soldiers passed along a parallel corridor, their footsteps synchronized.

They waited a handful of seconds, although it seemed much longer. Andrew wasn't a fearful person, but he could almost hear his heart pounding in his chest. Neil's face was hard, and his eyes, so close to Andrew, were the dark blue-grey of a storm. His face lit up suddenly and he crowded Andrew against the wall. 

Andrew didn't have time to tell him to fuck off before he was falling backwards into the wall. 

*

The landing was rough, to say the least. The intruders, or simply pirates as they'd started calling them, had attached a cable to their small ship and basically tugged them through the storm. Kevin had thought they were about to die several times, had almost fell off an open door, and had prayed to a God he didn't believe in before they'd miraculously gone through the storm and crash-landed on Palmetto.

It was eerily calm. They could still see the storm raging around them, but here, in the eye, it was quiet and tranquil. Yet, Kevin couldn't shake the anxiousness that permeated his thoughts. It wasn't only because he could see the Ravens' ship on the other side of the flying city, it was also the city, like it wasn't supposed to be there, wasn't supposed to even exist. They didn't even know how it could fly, it could quite well fall at any moment.

Nicky and Aaron were already readying their weapon, although Nicky looked just as nervous as Kevin felt. "I don't like this," he whispered. There was no need to speak so low, but the place almost commanded it. "We don't even know if Andrew and Neil are here. They could..." He trailed off, unable to say what they were all thinking.

Aaron scoffed. "If they fucking die, I'm still getting all the money I can from this cursed place. They owe me at least that."

They left the ship armed to the teeth. There was no way the Ravens hadn't heard them arrive and they only had a handful of minutes before the soldiers figured out a way to get through the city to reach them. The pirates were ready too. There were four of them: one man with dark brown skin and curly hair, another girl with lighter skin and tightly braided hair, the girl with the broad shoulders and white hair, and finally a tall white lady who looked like she belonged to an aristocrat family instead of on a pirate ship. 

The woman with the white hair walked up to them, as she seemed to be the leader. "I'm Renee," she introduced herself. "And this is Matt, Dan and Allison. The Ravens aren't far, let's go."

She wasn't one to make small talk clearly, and made a sign to her crew, telling them to follow. Nicky, Aaron and Kevin looked at each other, but they didn't have a better plan. They found an entrance relatively easily. It looked like they had managed to land where ships had been supposed to land in this city, and there was a passage to the inside. 

The inside of the city was strange and oppressive. Kevin had always been fond of history, liked remembering dates and events, liked how they all fit together in the big pictures, and he remembered seeing pictures of military bases from all over the words. They all had the same atmosphere, cold, small and restrictive, with little light and narrow corridors. Even though the hallways' light lit up and basked their way in a soft blue light, it didn't stop the feeling of being trapped. 

Kevin clenched and unclenched his left hand on his pants as they made their way slowly through the city. It felt claustrophobic, as if they were about to be buried alive at any moment. It was quite ironic for a city that was literally flying by some sort of magical technology.

By pure chance, they managed to reach a room, which Kevin supposed must have been the center of the city. The ceiling was a dozen meters tall and tall windows at the top of the room were feeling it with the bright light of the sun. Finally, he felt like he could breathe. He took a moment to look around and guessed that it must have been used for things such as markets. The patterns on the walls and floors had looked random until now, but those ones weren't. The lines on the floor seemed to indicate streets, and maybe places to put stalls, and sometimes, the line crossed in tight squares of different sizes that looked almost like it was actually words.

"Kevin!" Nicky called out from behind a pillar. It was so big Kevin couldn't see what was behind it, but as he took a few steps to join him and the rest of the crew and pirates, his eyes widened.

A huge pile of gold and golden items were pushed against the corner. Cups, chalices, jewellery, cutlery, gems and glasses, even clothes that looked like they'd been woven out of golden threads. Kevin had never seen as many riches in one place. The pirates were already filling their bags but Nicky and Aaron were just staring at the pile. Nicky rubbed his arm and forced a smile toward Kevin. "Feels a bit weird filling our pockets when we don't even know if..." He sucked in a breath and shook his head. "Where Andrew and Neil are."

On one hand, Nicky was right, it felt like taking advantage of their disappearance. (Kevin refused to think of it as anything more.) On the other hand... "I don't want to speak ill of the missing here," Aaron mercifully said, "but Andrew wouldn't have had any qualms about taking all the gold he could carry if he were in our situation."

"Too bad you won't get to keep any of it," a voice said, from behind them, followed by the unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked. The pirates were already pulling out of their gun, but Kevin heard three sets of footsteps and what sounded like more guns being loaded and the pirates glared, but didn't shoot anybody. "Hands up and no funny business," the voice said, dark amusement colouring her tone. " I'm not alone."

Kevin turned around slowly to look at their ambusher, although he'd recognised her voice. Jenkins was tall and thin with a boyish look, short hair and a wiry body. The cold and satisfied look on her face was aggravated by her high cheekbones and thin pursed lips. When she smiled, she showed all her teeth, sending a shiver down Kevin's spine. "I know someone who will be very happy to see you," she said, winking at him.

*

Neil avoided falling on Andrew at the last moment, managing to twist himself to the side, falling beside Andrew instead. Andrew hadn't expected it, and landed much less graciously with a groan. "Fuck you," he swore. "You could have warned me."

Neil laughed faintly. It was short lived, but it was the first time that Andrew had heard him laugh. "Sorry, I should have," he apologised. "But I wanted to surprise you." He made a round gesture, indicating the room around them.

Although the rest of the city had clearly been abandoned, it had never looked old or uncared for. This room on the other hand, had taken the ravages of time. What must have been a giant open space when it had still been lived in was now entirely covered in the roots of the tree above. They ran along the walls, creating crevasses, erasing all the markings, falling from the ceiling like a natural curtain, slithered along the walls like snakes.

"What is this place?" Andrew asked.

Neil was biting his lips, looking unsure. "It's the control center. My mum told me about how to access it, although there should be..." 

He didn't finish his sentence, instead walking forward and pushing the roots away. They were thin and brittle, easy to push away from their path. This entire city might have been impossible, but at least the plants here seemed to follow the same rules as the ones back on ground. With each step they took toward the center of the room, Neil's pendant was glowing brighter, until it was hovering above his chest, blue light illuminating the space several feet away from him.

Finally, they pushed the roots away to reveal a giant floating crystal. They stopped walking. Neil's stone was floating upward, like it was trying to rejoin the crystal. Andrew took a closer look at both of them and they both looked like they were made of the same material, that dark blue stone that wasn't quite transparent but lit up with light. 

Under the crystal was a stand, the stop smooth, black and round as if made from onyx. Neil laid his hand on it and the crystal burnt brighter, illuminating the entire room with its soothing blue glow, giving Andrew the impression of being underwater. He turned around and looked at Andrew with a smile, but it faded, instantly replaced with a hard, cold look.

"Nathaniel," Riko greeted them both. His grin was wide and didn't reach his eyes, like a gash on his face. "What a pleasure to see you again."

"Riko," Neil said, jaw clenched. Andrew's fingers crept toward the knives hidden in his sleeves. "How did you come here? Only the Royal family knew-"

"Knew the secret passage?" Riko cut him off, only smiling wider. "Well, Nathaniel dearest, it looks like your mommy forgot to tell you that there were two branches of the royal family."

Neil took a step back, his hand clenching around his necklace but Riko shook his head, clucking his tongue. "Where do you think you are going?" He asked with his falsely saccharine tone. "I have a gift for you and your friend."

The roots were cut away behind Riko to reveal four soldiers, of which Andrew recognised only one: Jenkins.

"I'm going to kill you," he snarled, when Kevin, Aaron and Nicky were pushed forward, Nicky falling to his knees as he stumbled on the uneven floor. "I'm going to enjoy ripping out your throat and watching you gasping for breath like the useless fish you are."

Riko laughed, and it was a chilling sound. Andrew's gaze slipped to Kevin who looked absolutely terrified. His brown skin was almost gray, the green of his eyes eyes almost swallowed by the black, his chest raising quickly. There was a bruise developing on Nicky's chest, and although Aaron looked unscathed, the soldier who was holding him had a bite mark on his right hand.

Riko raised his hand and took two steps closer. Neither Neil nor he moved, but they both tensed, Andrew to prevent himself from lunging forward and Neil, Andrew guessed, to prevent himself from running away. "Give me the key, Nathaniel, or I will kill every single one of your little companions."

"I'll kill him," Andrew whispered, pulling out his knife, hidden behind Neil. Neil minutely shook his head, but it was enough for Andrew to not throw his blade right through Riko's throat.

"You're going to kill me, aren't you?" Neil asked.

Riko laughed and raised his own gun, which he'd kept in his belt until now. "I shouldn't be surprised that you're so perceptive, Nathaniel. After all, you did evade me for years." He unclenched the safety and aimed the gun at Neil. "I can't let you alive, you see. Only royalty can control Palmetto and I intend to be the only one."

Neil sighed and it sounded so defeated, Andrew clenched his fist until he could feel his nails breaking skin. "Fine. But I'd like a few minutes to say goodbye in that case."

"One and you're not allowed to move from where you are."

Neil barred his teeth at Riko, but there was nothing he could do, Riko had the upper hand. He turned to Andrew, and now that his back was turned, his face was full etched with determination. His hand hovered around Andrew's arm and when Andrew didn't pull it away, his fingers wrapped around his wrist, warm and calloused. "Abram," he whispered. Andrew stared, not understanding. Neil glanced with urgency towards Riko. "We must be more than one person saying it. You know I never wanted this city - weapon - to finish in anybody's hand, let alone Riko. It's our only choice."

"Your minute is up!" Riko announced cheerfully.

Neil closed his eyes and took a deep breath. With slow and deliberate movements, he took off his pendant. It was still lit and almost floating. Riko's eyes as he watched it come close were wide and dark with hunger. He held out his hand, a few centimetres away and...

Neil glanced at Andrew. _Now_ , he mouthed.

It was enough.

"ABRAM!" They shouted together.

It was immediate. The room started shaking, sending Riko stumbling. That split second of inattention was enough for Andrew to tackle him, sending him to the floor. He aimed for the throat with his knife, but Riko kicked him off. What Riko didn't know though, is that Andrew had two knives, and he planted the second in Riko's thigh. Riko's screamed was piercing as he collapsed to the floor, bleeding profusely. 

Andrew picked up his gun and in one swift motion, shot two of the soldiers. Aaron was the first one to recover from the shock. Blood had splattered on him when the solider got shot and cursed in disgust. He had the reflex to grab the gun of the fallen soldier though, and aimed it at the last of their jailers. "Get the fuck out of here or I will shoot you."

The soldier didn't need to be told twice and fled, running. All around them, the city was falling apart. The ceiling of the control center was covered in slithering cracks and pieces of stone was starting to fall to the ground. "Fucking move," Andrew barked, grabbing Nicky's arm and dragging him from the floor.

Right outside the room, attached to a pole, they found the intruders. Nicky stopped in his tracks. "We wouldn't be here without them, we have to help them, Andrew."

Andrew growled and pulled out his knife, kneeling next to them. "I will cut the rope, they can fucking figure out the rest by themselves."

It didn't take long to cut the rope, but every second was precious. The floor was breaking away, and they had to watch where they were going to avoid tripping on a raised part. 

"If we don't die here, I'm quitting my life as a pirate!" The tall black intruder shouted as he almost avoided being flattened to death by a piece of wall.

Andrew didn't know how, but Neil seemed to know enough of the layout of the place to lead them to relative safety to the outside of the city. Unfortunately for them, they weren't at the right landing dock, and a thin, and unstable, bridge was the only way to the next dock where their ships were.

"Just go!" Neil shouted. "The city is falling, so either you might die falling to your death on the bridge, or you die for sure falling with the ruin of a city."

He had a point, Andrew conceded, but it didn't make it any easier. The intruders went first, followed closely by Nicky and Aaron. Andrew tried, but couldn't quite breathe as he looked down, to the sheer expanse of the sky, empty and lethal if he fell. Why did it have to be a fucking flying city, couldn't it have been an underwater.

There was a scream. Andrew saw Neil jumped from the corner of his eye. Before he'd even seen him land, he knew this the end. He saw Riko, faced twisted with rage and pain and the kind of hunger that devoured everything, holding a gun, about to shoot. He saw Neil tackle him. He saw them falling over the edge.

Andrew wasn't here to catch Neil, this time.

How long did he stare at the empty space where Neil had been, he didn't. It couldn't have been long, because when Kevin dragged him by his arm, finally finding his spine, the bridge was still in one piece.

A stone had fallen onto Bee's ship, rendering it unusable. Nicky let out a distressed noise at the view, but one of the intruder, the black woman, laid a hand on his shoulder. "We're not leaving you to die either. Climb with us."

As they flew away, they watched the city falling apart, first the bottom level, stones falling, taking with them windows, walls, and the above floors until all that was left was the core of the city, where the blue crystal was hidden, nested between the roots of the giant tree, and that peaceful garden on top. Andrew was almost sure he could see Wymack the robot still watering its flowers, as the city slowly climbed into the sky, unburdened by the weight of several floors.

"What's this?" Nicky called, pointing to what looked just more blue sky.

When he squinted though, he could see something. At first, it looked like a star with how bright it was, but his eyes adjusted until it was clearly somebody falling, although very, very slowly.

Matt, the tall intruder, swerved toward the form and Nicky gasped. "It's Neil!" He cried out.

Andrew ran outside on the deck of the ship, forgetting all about his fear of heights. Nothing but Neil mattered in this moment, his body floating, the pendant around his neck like a falling star. Andrew held out his arms, and Neil fell into his arms much more delicately than he would have expected.

The pendant stopped shining, its light decreasing until it was resting against Neil's chest, once again devoid of life. Neil's eyes fluttered open, and his gaze fell on Andrew. "Am I dead?" He croaked out.

"Do I look like a fucking angel?"

Neil's laugh was as bright as the light of the pendant had been and Andrew's heart ached and ached, full of sticky warm feelings, like honey. 

"We're both well aware I wouldn't go to heaven."

Andrew rolled his eyes, but when Neil's hand wrapped around his neck and gently pulled him down, as if letting him chose, he didn't resist.

The kiss made him feel like he was flying, and for once, he didn't mind.


End file.
